Keep on Walking
by ur-vampire-girl
Summary: Bella Swan is known for getting into all sorts of trouble. Edward Cullen wonders why she keeps doing stupid things to herself and to others. As he gets to know her, he discovers something unimaginable and why she hates certain kind of people. Just when everything starts to get fine, why does Bella have to stop walking? O/S.


**Hello! So how's your 2014? Here's another story before I return to school. **

**Sorry for the mistakes.**

**Enjoy reading!**

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**Keep on Walking**

The sun was shining brightly. Birds are chirping merrily and wild flowers were in bloom. It was a typical day in spring.

We lay side by side on the soft grass. It was nice being out in the sun after the cold winter. She had always looked beautiful in the sunlight. I'd always loved the reddish streaks on her hair when the sun hits it.

"I missed you. I'm sorry I couldn't come that often. I was busy with work." I gave her a bouquet of her favorite irises and lavender. "Alice and Jasper visited last week. I wonder what Alice told you. Did she talk about shopping again? Are you doing fine?"

As usual, she didn't answer my questions.

* * *

**_Eight years ago._**

Isabella Swan was doing community service again.

I wonder what she did this time. The last time I saw her mopping the floor of the cafeteria it was because she was caught drinking alcohol in the school by one of the teachers. Maybe she played a prank on poor Angela Weber for the nth time.

She was known in the school because of getting into all sorts of trouble. Many were afraid of her. It seemed that she hated everyone. Just seeing her bitter stare would make you flinch. I heard that her father was a powerful man, that's was why she wasn't afraid of doing ludicrous things.

We went to the same kindergarten and she wasn't like this before. She used to be so nice. We were even great friends. Until one day, she stopped talking to anyone and the following year, she was gone. They said she studied overseas.

I was once her victim, but that didn't make me hate her. She threw a gum on my hair. I asked her why she did it. She said because my hair was always messy and it irritated her. She was irritated at everything.

A surprising fact about her was that she was one of the top students of our school. It might be one of the reasons why the school was afraid to lose her. She had brought trophies and medals to the school.

There were reasons why people act the way they do. She made me curious. She couldn't be doing all those things because she was bored. I must find out the reason behind her bitchy attitude.

"Swan," I greeted her.

As expected, she looked up at me with those hateful pools of brown.

"Stay away from me before I decide what I want to do with you," she threatened. "I'm telling you it won't be good."

Her words didn't scare me. It only fueled my interest to know her more.

"It's getting late. I can help you with that," I offered, pointing at the sloppy mop.

She didn't respond and just continued what she was doing. I know she wanted me to leave because she didn't want anyone to see her like this and think differently of her.

This might sound very stalkerish but I'd been following her for a month now, and based on my observation she wasn't really a bad person.

Every Friday after school, she'd go to St. Therese Orphanage. It was a home for abandoned and orphaned young girls. It was headed by a nice old nun. She looked totally different when she was in there. She was all smiles and seemed to be friends with everyone. She was not cold like she was at school.

It made me think that maybe she once lived there. But she had a father. Could it be that she was adopted by a rich man? Only elite people could enter our school. No middle class person could afford our tuition fee and other expenses.

She was also living alone in a condominium of her own an hour away from the school. If she had a father then why wasn't she living in his house? I only had two conclusions on why she was behaving the way she did.

First, she wasn't raised well by the people in the orphanage or the guy who adopted her. Actually, I think this doesn't make sense anymore after seeing her being nice to the kids in the orphanage and they loved her.

Second, she hated rich people. Angela Weber, her favorite person to bully was one of the richest people in this school. Before she came to this school, charity scholars were always bullied because most of them were poor. When she started studying here, she chose to be friends with people who weren't rich like us. Since many were afraid of her, bullies stopped messing with the scholars.

I left her alone again the cafeteria just to get another mop from the utility room. Our dismissal was at four-thirty and it was almost six. I was certain that it was just us and a few faculties in the school.

Without saying a word, I started mopping the other side of the room. I could see from my peripheral that she stopped working and gave me a deadly stare.

"What are you doing?" she asked, from her tone, she sounded really frustrated and impatient on me.

"You didn't say, "No, you can't help me" so here I am," I answered calmly, opposing her tone.

"I told you to leave me alone. I don't need your help."

"It's Friday, you might want to leave the school as early as you can. Aren't you heading somewhere."

"Where should I be heading?" she retorted.

"Who knows where you're heading."

"You can either shut the hell up or just leave." I chose the first one.

In twenty minutes, we were done mopping the floor. I helped her return the supplies in the utility room. She acted like I didn't exist. I was rich so she hated me.

As usual, it was pouring outside, typical September.

Today was the day I'd find out why she goes to the orphanage.

We were almost outside the school when I heard her mutter, "Damn, I left my umbrella in my room."

I called my driver who was just outside to come in and pick me up. He arrived in less than two minutes.

I handed Isabella the umbrella I was holding and went inside the car without even looking back.

"Have you bought everything I said?" I asked Marcus, the driver.

"Yes, Sir, everything is in the trunk. Are we heading to the orphanage now?" he asked.

"Not until Isabella gets a cab," I replied.

* * *

...

The orphanage was almost an hour and a half away from school.

Isabella arrived first as planned. The nice nun welcomed her and some of the kids. She smiled at them. She looked so beautiful when she smiled. I never she her smile in school, she either had a frown or an empty expression plastered on her face.

Why didn't she want others to see this part of her? She was a wonderful person.

"Speaking of the visitor, there you are Mr. Cullen. I've told the kids and Bella about your visit. Let's go in," Sister Miranda said nicely.

As we go in, Bella didn't speak to me. It was as if she didn't know. Not that she talked to anyone in school except from the scholars.

Marcus was behind us, carrying the bags of toys and groceries that I bought for the kids. Sister Miranda kept on thanking me as we walked in their sitting room.

The kids got me and Isabella hot chocolate and butter cookies. Isabella kept silent until the telephone rang and Sister Miranda went to her office to answer it.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at me.

"Visiting the kids? I answered innocently.

"How did you know about this place? You said earlier that I was going somewhere. How did you know I was going here?"

"I didn't know you are going here. I just assumed that you are going somewhere with your friends because it was a Friday," I lied.

"You're a bad liar."

Guess it was time to confront her. Most of the kids are in their rooms or doing chores and were far enough to hear our conversation. I still kept my voice low.

"Are you adopted?" I asked her.

She gave me a shocked expression and said, "What? No! I'm not adopted. I'm not an orphan."

"Then why do you keep on going here?"

"You've been following me!" she accused. "What are you, a stalker?"

"I'm not a stalker. I just got curious on why you kept doing stupid things to others."

"Why are you doing this? You have nothing to do with my business. Just go home please."

"I like you, Isabella," I admitted.

Her mouth opened in shock and she turned tomato red.

"What? You can't like me! You have no reason to!" she exclaimed, earning glances from the children.

"Don't shout, the kids may think we are fighting. Adults should be a good example to them, Isabella." I smiled at her and the redness on her face escalated another shade darker. She was so cute when she was embarrassed.

"You're a good person and that's enough reason for me to like you."

"I'm not a good person. You are the one who said I do stupid things. You should hate me as much as I hate you. Stop liking me. I won't like you, ever," she said bitterly. That hurt a little but I know she didn't mean it. She never hated anyone. She had a good heart.

I left after she said those words, not even bothering to say goodbye to the kids and Sister Miranda.

I didn't want to go home yet so I continued following her.

Her building was near here and she headed there but left wearing casual clothes after a few minutes. She hailed a cab and headed to a nearby club. She was only eighteen; no way could she enter that place except if she had a fake id.

I gave Marcus money for taxi and sent him home. He opposed at first but I told him my father wouldn't know.

Three hours later, Isabella emerged from the club. She didn't look drunk, just pissed as usual.

I was about to go offer her a ride but she saw me first and glared. It didn't stop me. I went to where she was and offered her a ride.

It was almost midnight. Someone might take advantage of her in this place.

"I'll drive you home," I offered.

"Go away," she hissed at me.

"I can't leave you in this kind of place."

"I told you earlier to stop following me. You're freaking me out."

"I'll only stop if you tell me why you like to hurt and play with other people's feelings."

"Why do you want to know? Why does it bother you so much? Why can't you just be happy that I'm not doing anything to you and your sister? Well, I may have done something to your sister this morning, but that's only because I hate her more than I hate you."

She talked more with alcohol. I was taking advantage of this situation but not in a bad way.

I hadn't seen Alice all day. I should have known that something happened to her. It might be the reason Isabella was doing community service.

"Go in, please," I pleaded.

"No."

"Fine, I will stop following you, but I won't stop liking you."

She just laughed bitterly. "Who would believe that stupid lie?"

"Believe what you want to believe," I said and then drove home.

The following Monday, though I didn't have much sleep, I went to school early to wait for Isabella. Last Saturday morning I saw Alice with purple streaks on her hair. She said that Isabella placed something in her shampoo. She was very furious and but everything was fine after she went home from the salon.

I waited for her until the bell rang, but I didn't even have a glimpse of her. Maybe she wasn't going to school today.

My first period was Physics with Mr. Banner but he didn't show up and there was no substitute teacher. My friends asked me if I wanted to hang out with them on the parking lot but I refused. I chose to just walk around the school. I wanted to be alone and think.

Why am I even bothering with Isabella when she clearly hated me? Why couldn't I stop myself from discovering the story behind her cruel stares and her antics?

As I passed the Principal's Office I heard someone arguing and shouting.

"When will you stop doing stupid things? What satisfaction does it give you? How can you do that to Alice?" a familiar voice of a man exclaimed.

"How could you do this to me? How can you keep me like a dirty little secret? Am I not your daughter, too?" An angry female voice shouted back.

"This is so ungrateful of you. I gave you a nice place to stay in and everything you wanted."

The knob wasn't locked and I opened it to confirm my suspicion.

The door opened just in time for me to see my father slapping Isabella. I didn't know what came to me, but I pulled her into my arms. She was crying silently but she didn't pull away from me.

"Let's get out of here," I told her.

We got a couple of stares from other people as we walked our way to the rooftop but I didn't care.

She cried even more once we were alone. She fell on the floor and buried her face on her hands. I'd never seen anyone cry like this before. I'd never seen Isabella cry. It was usually her who makes somebody cry.

"I really, really hate you," she said in between her sobs.

I sat beside her on the floor. "Tell me why you hate me."

"Because you and Alice aren't even Carlisle's real children yet he treats you like his own. I, her real daughter, the one who shares blood with him, he treats me like trash. I hate it that he is so affectionate especially to Alice. I hate it that I'm an illegitimate child.

"I can't love who I want to love and now he's telling me whom I can't hurt and hate. That's so unfair. Why is he so protective of her while he never cared for me? He rarely visited me. He was clearly ashamed of me. I didn't want any of the material things he gave me. I just wanted him to love me the way he loves you and Alice. What's so hard with that? Why couldn't he be proud of me? Why does he only show up when I do something wrong?"

She knew that Alice and I were adopted. Esmé, our adoptive mother wasn't capable of having a child so they decided to adopt me and my sister when we were little. I was four then and Alice was one. Carlisle never mentioned that he had a daughter with another woman. Isabella was just as old as I am. Carlisle and Esmé had been married for six years already when they adopted us, meaning Carlisle had an affair with another woman. He wasn't that type of man. He loved Esmé too much. But the evidence was in front of me, crying her heart out.

After that day, everything changed between me and Isabella. She started talking to me and stopped pulling pranks on others. I even got to hang out with her and her friends. Every Friday, I went to the orphanage with her. She seemed okay with it and I liked playing with the kids.

Months had passed since the accident and I got to know her more. She actually smiled a lot when she we were alone. We never talked about her issue with Carlisle anymore. As my relationship with Bella became better, my relationship with Carlisle got complicated. Esmé and Alice still didn't know of Bella's existence.

We were seated on a bench outside the orphanage, watching the kids play in the front yard. The spring sun felt wonderful. The sun was hitting her hair and it shone beautifully. It looked kind of red. She wasn't as pale as before. We'd been going out a lot these days.

Our hands were just inches away from each other so I reached for hers. I acted like nothing happened. I could already tell that she was blushing. Her hand felt good on mine.

"Have you stopped liking me yet?" she asked shyly.

"Not yet, maybe I don't like to stop," I answered.

I looked at her and smiled. She smiled back at me and it warmed my heart. I leaned into her and my other hand cupped her blushing cheek.

"Maybe I started liking you back," she said and then she kissed me.

Everything was calm and wonderful as I relished the feel of her lips on mine. There were no words how to describe the feeling. It was just too much and overwhelming in a good way.

It was until one of the kids called Isabella. She pulled away from me and she was still smiling. God, she was so beautiful.

"Bella! Come play with us!" Nessie shouted. She was the closest to her.

"I'll just go inside to play with the kids," she said as she stood up.

"Okay," I replied.

She was crossing the road, but she stopped. She looked back at me and said, "I'll be back in a few." That smile, was the sweetest one she gave me.

**(End of flashback)**

* * *

"You never came back, why didn't you just cross the road? Why do you have to look at me? Why can't I save you? Why does it have to happen?"

Again, she didn't answer my question.

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**Thank you so much for reading! Is it too sad?**

** Reviews are very much appreciated. :)**

**May you all have a fantastic and prosperous year ahead!**

**-ishi :)**


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